Personally speaking » Salvation Armyhttp://blog.prolifewisconsin.org
Commentary, news, and research from Pro-Life WisconsinWed, 25 Feb 2015 17:53:41 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Think Twice Before Donating to the Salvation Armyhttp://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/2013/12/05/think-twice-before-donating-to-the-salvation-army/
http://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/2013/12/05/think-twice-before-donating-to-the-salvation-army/#commentsThu, 05 Dec 2013 16:36:51 +0000http://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/?p=3898We’ve all seen the Salvation Army bell ringers with the festive red kettles. They’re almost as much a part of the Christmas season as eggnog and carols. It’s harmless enough to drop a few coins in the bucket and carry on, right? Actually, it isn’t.

While the Salvation Army carries out many good humanitarian projects, they support abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, and when the mother’s life appears to be in danger (I say “appears” because doctors attest that abortion is never necessary to save the life of the mother).

Here’s their position statement on abortion from the Salvation Army International website:

The Salvation Army recognizes tragic and perplexing circumstances that require difficult decisions regarding a pregnancy. Decisions should be made only after prayerful and thoughtful consideration, acknowledging the tremendous pressures that occur during an unexpected pregnancy. There is a responsibility on all involved to give the parents of the unborn child, particularly the woman, appropriate pastoral, medical and other counsel. The Salvation Army believes that termination can occur only when

Carrying the pregnancy further seriously threatens the life of the mother; or

Reliable diagnostic procedures have identified a foetal abnormality considered incompatible with survival for more than a very brief post natal period.

In addition, rape and incest are brutal acts of dominance violating women physically and emotionally. This situation represents a special case for the consideration of termination as the violation may be compounded by the continuation of the pregnancy.

Dressed up in the euphemistic language of “termination” (also known as killing your baby) and “prayerful consideration,” the Salvation Army supports abortion in certain circumstances. This is not humanitarian. This is not compassionate. Ironically, they cite human personhood as a reason for abortion being rare. If you choose to have an abortion, they claim, you better be prepared to justify your decision to God.

Although not specifically mentioning abortion, these texts imply that any decision deliberately to end an unborn life is a violation of its ongoing sanctity and is therefore a serious issue requiring justification to God.

In other words, they are saying that abortion is a serious issue, and you should have a good reason for having one. But at the end of the day, if you feel you can justify it, it’s OK to murder your innocent baby.

To compound the problem, they also support birth control as a healthy way to foster “respect for women”—completely ignoring the fact that, if anything, contraception leads to the degradation and further objectification of women.

A serious commitment to the protection and care of the unborn calls us to a commitment to the prevention of unwanted pregnancy through means such as access to reliable birth control, safety in relationships, and societal respect of women.

People of conscience who object to abortion and contraception should think twice before donating to the Salvation Army this Christmas season.

Before you drop your hard-earned change in the Salvation Army’s red kettles, or volunteer to ring the bell for the Salvation Army, make sure you know what you are supporting.

The Salvation Army devotes a portion of their website to their positions on various social issues, such as human trafficking, euthanasia and abortion. You can find their position statement page here.

On the issue of abortion: “The Salvation Army recognizes tragic and perplexing circumstances that require difficult decisions regarding a pregnancy. Such decisions should be made only after prayerful and thoughtful consideration, with appropriate involvement of the woman’s family and pastoral, medical and other counsel. A woman in these circumstances needs acceptance, love and compassion.”

While that statement may sound understanding and accepting, it is a far cry from the simple position of, “Our organization opposes all abortions, because we believe each human life is sacred and valued before God.” The Salvation Army’s posted statement is, unfortunately, a fancy way of supporting, at the very least, abortions in the exceptions cases – rape, incest, life of the mother and fetal deformity. Click here to read why abortion is never the answer.

Research done by Life Decisions International [LDI] sheds more light on the subject. LDI has posted an interview from Der Bund, a Swiss newspaper, conducted with Salvation Army General Shaw Clifton (the General directs Salvation Army operations throughout the world).

Speaking on behalf of the Salvation Army, Clifton stated, “We are not as conservative as our catholic brothers and sisters. There are situations in which abortion is the lesser evil, for instance in cases of severe deformities of the fetus, [or] rape.”

Discussing birth control and sterilization, “The Salvation Army encourages the use of birth control methods that are contraceptive… The Salvation Army does not oppose sterilization as a means of contraception. However, because it is generally irreversible in nature, such a procedure should be undertaken only after full consideration is given to spiritual, moral and practical ramifications.” The full text of LDI’s article on the Salvation Army can be read here (page 8).

In addition, Human Life International has an excellent article about the Salvation Army, UNICEF and other “good” causes that don’t always promote good. Click here to read.

]]>http://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/2011/11/09/the-salvation-army-and-abortion/feed/0Regarding the Salvation Army and their position on abortionhttp://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/2010/12/02/regarding-the-salvation-army-and-their-position-on-abortion/
http://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/2010/12/02/regarding-the-salvation-army-and-their-position-on-abortion/#commentsThu, 02 Dec 2010 15:08:48 +0000http://blog.prolifewisconsin.org/?p=479There has been much discussion on our Facebook page regarding the Salvation Army and their position on abortion. Before you drop your hard-earned change in the Salvation Army’s red kettles, make sure you know what you are funding.

The Salvation Army devotes a portion of their website to their positions on various social issues, such as human trafficking, euthanasia and abortion. You can find their position statement page here.

On the issue of abortion: “The Salvation Army recognizes tragic and perplexing circumstances that require difficult decisions regarding a pregnancy. Such decisions should be made only after prayerful and thoughtful consideration, with appropriate involvement of the woman’s family and pastoral, medical and other counsel. A woman in these circumstances needs acceptance, love and compassion.”

While that statement may sound understanding and accepting, it is a far cry from the simple position of, “Our organization opposes all abortions, because we believe each human life is sacred and valued before God.” The Salvation Army’s posted statement is, unfortunately, a fancy way of supporting, at the very least, abortions in the exceptions cases – rape, incest, life of the mother and fetal deformity. Click here to read our position on why abortion is never the answer.

Research done by Life Decisions International [LDI] sheds more light on the subject. LDI has posted an interview from Der Bund, a Swiss newspaper, conducted with Salvation Army General Shaw Clifton (the General directs Salvation Army operations throughout the world).

Speaking on behalf of the Salvation Army, Clifton stated, “We are not as conservative as our catholic brothers and sisters. There are situations in which abortion is the lesser evil, for instance in cases of severe deformities of the fetus, [or] rape.” Discussing birth control and sterilization, “The Salvation Army encourages the use of birth control methods that are contraceptive… The Salvation Army does not oppose sterilization as a means of contraception. However, because it is generally irreversible in nature, such a procedure should be undertaken only after full consideration is given to spiritual, moral and practical ramifications.” The full text of LDI’s article on the Salvation Army can be read here (page 8).

In addition, Human Life International has an excellent article about the Salvation Army, UNICEF and other “good” causes that don’t always promote good. Click here to read.

The Salvation Army meets every three years to elect a new “General.” The next meeting is January 22, 2011. To that end, if you feel passionately about the Salvation Army and hope to influence the upcoming 2011 elections, we have made available coupons that you can download and put in the kettles.

Look for an upcoming blog post tackling United Way in the very near future!